Nuri Sahin lauded "a very important win" for Borussia Dortmund, after Donyell Malen's late strike sealed a narrow 1-0 victory over Sturm Graz.

Last year's Champions League finalists claimed their third win from four matches in this season's competition, with substitute Malen securing all three points with five minutes remaining.

The Netherlands international executed a neat one-two with Serhou Guirassy to put Dortmund fourth in the league table on nine points.

And though they left it late, Sahin felt his side were worthy of their victory.

"A very important win," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "It was a deserved win, even if we scored late. We controlled the game for the most time.

"We stayed clear. I thought it would happen earlier [the goal]. But even though we scored a late goal, it's nine points for us so far."

Meanwhile, Sturm Graz are left rooted to the foot of the table, and still seeking their first points of the competition.

"In my opinion, we had the better opportunities in the phase before they scored," coach Christian Ilzer said.

"But then the goal was scored and we were left empty-handed. That's very annoying. But we have to take the lead in a game like this."

Donyell Malen netted an 85th minute winner to hand Borussia Dortmund a narrow 1-0 victory over winless Sturm Graz in the Champions League on Tuesday. 

A dominant showing from Nuri Sahin's side made it three wins from four games so far in the competition, moving them up to fourth in the new 36-team league. 

Dortmund started brightly at the Westfalenstadion but were unable to find a breakthrough, with Marcel Sabitzer, Maximilian Beier and Serhou Guirassy going close. 

They recorded 13 shots in the first half, their most in the opening 45 minutes of a Champions League match without scoring since Opta recorded this data (since 2003-04).

But Sturm Graz offered a threat on the break after the interval, with Jusuf Gazibegovic curling an effort narrowly wide before Mika Biereth missed a header from close range.

However, Dortmund left it late to seal the win as Malen pounced on Emanuel Aiwu's loose pass before being sent through by Guirassy, with the Dutchman rattling the ball beyond 
Kjell Scherpen to seal another Champions League home win.

Data Debrief: Home comforts

While Sahin has come under fire for Dortmund's displays away from home, there is no arguing with his record at the Westfalenstadion.

He became the first Dortmund coach since the Bundesliga was founded to win each of his first seven home matches in charge (all competitions), while BVB are now unbeaten in 13 consecutive Champions League home games (W9 D4) - an extended club record. 

Malen’s winner was timed at 84:56, Dortmund’s latest winning goal in a Champions League match since Kevin Groskreutz netted against Marseille in December 2013.

Injury-ravaged Borussia Dortmund are running out of time to recover players ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Sturm Graz, coach Nuri Sahin has said.

Dortmund, who lost last season's Champions League final to Real Madrid, are currently without forwards Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, midfielder Gio Reyna and defensive trio Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto.

Despite their lengthy injury list, BVB fought back to beat second-placed RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, ending a three-game losing run in all competitions.

Ahead of Sturm Graz's visit, Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 12 home matches in the Champions League, winning eight and drawing four.

They have only lost one of their last 19 at Signal Iduna Park in the competition's group or league phase, versus Erik ten Hag's Ajax back in November 2021.

However, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, defender Waldemar Anton and winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also doubtful for Tuesday's match, Sahin is concerned. 

"The known absentees remain. I don't think anyone will come back, apart from Almugera Kabar," Sahin told reporters on Monday.

"We will have to see about Waldi. It will be a race against time. We did not get the green light on Greg yet. [Backup goalkeeper Alexander] Meyer has an extraordinary character. 

"He is very popular in the squad and his qualities were on display at the weekend. To have a number two like that at this level is amazing."

Sturm Graz have lost all three of their Champions League games this campaign. Dortmund, meanwhile, suffered a 5-2 loss at Madrid in their last match but won their previous two against Club Brugge and Celtic.

Austria international Marcel Sabitzer, who recently returned to fitness, is particularly excited about the fixture, saying: "I come from Graz, I grew up there. I have many memories. 

"Our mission is to win tomorrow, that's clear. I'm already feeling better. I'm confident that it will work out tomorrow." 

Nuno Santos and Viktor Gyokeres were on target as a dominant Sporting eased to a 2-0 away victory over Sturm Graz in the Champions League.

Sporting maintained their unbeaten start to the league phase, with seven points from their opening three games, but for the Austrians, it was a third successive defeat with a trip to Borussia Dortmund next up on November 5.

The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half when Geny Catamo embarked on an excellent run on the right wing. His low cross was missed by Gyokeres but turned in by Santos.

Home goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen will feel he should have kept the ball out with a poor attempt at a stop, but there was little he could do about the second goal for the visitors.

The powerful Gyokeres was released down the left flank, and he brushed aside his defender before showing great composure to place the ball past Scherpen.

Sporting have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions, with the only blemish a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven. They host Manchester City in their next Champions League fixture.

Data Debrief: Smooth sailing

Sporting have now gone unbeaten across their first three matches of a Champions League campaign for the first time in their history (W2 D1) thanks to their routine victory on Tuesday.

In fact, their win was the 175th win by a Portuguese club in the competition, becoming the sixth nation to reach this milestone after Spain, England, Germany, Italy and France.

And Gyokeres was their standout performer, as he became the first Sporting player to both score and assist in a Champions League game since Paulinho in September 2022.

Christos Tzolis scored the only goal as Club Brugge edged out Sturm Graz 1-0 for their first win in this season's Champions League.

The Greece international delivered the decisive blow in the 23rd minute at 28 Black Arena on Wednesday.

Both sides were seeking their first point in the competition, having recorded defeats on matchday one against Borussia Dortmund and Brest respectively.

Brugge broke through midway through the first half, as Tzolis controlled before firing in off the post from the edge of the penalty area.

The visitors went close to doubling their lead after the break, but Sturm Graz goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen came to the hosts' rescue with a series of fine saves.

Urged on by the home fans, Christian Ilzer's side went in search of an equaliser, but it did not arrive as Brugge held out for the points.

Data Debrief: Third time unlucky for Sturm Graz

Sturm Graz have now suffered four successive Champions League defeats for the third time in their history.

Meanwhile, the Austrian side have now lost their last four European matches against Belgian opposition without scoring.

By contrast, Brugge maintained their perfect record of three straight wins against Austrian opponents, while they have now kept four clean sheets in five Champions League away games - as many as in their previous 22.

Tzolis' strike came from one of three shots on target, becoming the first Brugge player to register that amount in a single Champions League game since Hans Vanaken did so against Paris Saint-Germain in September 2021.

Abdallah Sima's second-half goal secured Brest their first-ever win in a European competition in a 2-1 victory over 10-man Sturm Graz on Thursday.

The French side made their Champions League bow, with goals in either half enough to overcome an own goal on the stroke of half-time.

Hugo Magnetti scored Brest's maiden European goal just 23 minutes in, expertly controlling it on his chest before volleying into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.

However, Sturm Graz equalised just before the break, with Edimilson Fernandes inadvertently sending the ball into his own net.

Brest adopted a more aggressive approach following the interval, and they were rewarded when Sima restored the French side's advantage by skilfully evading his marker to score in the 56th minute.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men with just two minutes remaining of the 90 when Dimitri Lavalee received his second booking after a late tackle on Magnetti. Jonas Martin then had two late chances to snatch a third but was denied by Kjell Scherpen. 

Data Debrief: Making an entrance

Brest’s win over Sturm Graz was just the second by a team making their debut in major European competition across the last 21 attempts (D4 L15), with Zrinjski Mostar in last season's UEFA Conference League the only other victor in that time.

Magnetti netted on what was his first-ever start in European competition, becoming the first player to net a team's first-ever goal in the Champions League from outside the area since Demba Ba for Istanbul Basaksehir against Manchester United in November 2020.

Sturm Graz came from two goals down to secure an unlikely draw against Paris Saint-Germain in their first game since Kylian Mbappe's move to Real Madrid. 

Ibrahim Mbaye and Carlos Soler had given the Parisiens a two-goal advantage with just 12 minutes on the clock, but their Austrian opponents would respond. 

Amady Camara would pull a goal back for the hosts three minutes later, with Otar Kiteishvili levelling the scores just before half-time. 

Substitute Marco Asensio had the opportunity to win the encounter late on for the Ligue 1 champions, but Luis Enrique started his pre-season preperations with a draw. 

PSG opened the scoring at the 28 Black Arena through 16-year-old debutant Mbaye, bouncing the ball over the onrushing Daniil Khudiakov after being found by Asensio. 

Soler, who captained the side in Austria, found the target three minutes later when Randal Kolo Muani's cross picked him out unmarked inside the area. 

But Kamara halved the deficit in double quick time, picking the pocket of Naoufel El Hannach on the edge of the area before finishing beyond Matvey Safonov. 

The comeback was completed in the 43rd minute in some style, as Kiteishvili took aim from distance to find the bottom corner. 

Data Debrief: PSG struggle without stars

Enrique is without some of his top performers in front of goal, but his PSG side had more than enough quality on the pitch to claim victory in Austria. 

The Parisiens accumulated an expected goals (xG) of just 1.06, 0.18 fewer than their opponents. PSG managed nine shots in the encounter, four fewer than Sturm Graz.

16-year-old Mbaye did impress on debut, however, recording the most shots (three), shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (four) than anyone in the PSG side. 

Europa League finalists Rangers will have to negotiate past Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League third qualifying round, where PSV meet Monaco.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side entered the qualifying stages through their second-place finish in last season's Scottish Premiership, where winners progress to the play-off stage and losers go automatically into the Europa League group stage.

Rangers also embarked on an impressive run to the Europa League final last season, getting past Borussia Dortmund, Braga and RB Leipzig before being defeated on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.

Union finished second in Belgium's First Division A after a 48-year top-flight absence and will pose a tough task in the two-legged clash, with the first meeting on August 2-3 before the return tie a week later.

Rangers lost at this round to Malmo last year and last made the group stage of UEFA's premier club competition back in 2010-11.

PSV were beaten Europa Conference League quarter-finalists last season, but the team now led by Ruud van Nistelrooy earned a shot at the Champions League after finishing second in the Eredivisie, and will face Monaco.

The Ligue 1 side seemed set to secure group-stage qualification themselves but will have to battle through qualification after they were pipped for second place on the final day of the season by Marseille.

In the other league path fixtures, the winner of Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahce will meet Austria's Sturm Graz, while last year's Champions League quarter-finalists Benfica will face either Midtjylland or AEK Larnaca.

The draw for the Champions League play-off round will be on August 1, with those ties taking place over August 16-17 and 23-24.